Caged tigers found on Thai apartment block roof

BANGKOK (AFP) - Thai police said they had discovered six underfed tigers in specially-built cages on the roof of an apartment building on Monday, arresting a man who claimed he had been planning to open a zoo.

Four adult cats and two cubs were found at the property on an industrial estate in Pathumthani province, north of Bangkok, in the raid by police from Thailand's Natural Resources and Environmental Crime Suppression Division.

A 28-year-old man, who lives in the building, was arrested at the scene and claimed to own the animals. "The man said that he was preparing to open a zoo in the province", said police Captain Montri Neepasee, who said the animals had not been given enough food and did not look "completely healthy".

The tigers were fed with around 10,000 baht's worth (S$398) of chicken bones a month. "They did not get enough nutrients for their growth," Capt Montri said, adding that the cubs were "stressed" in the small cages.